Aussie family immersed in the Cooks

Island Life An Aussie family immersed in the Cook Islands

Australian-born BSP country head David Street long aspired to live and work in the Cook Islands; the reality has far exceeded his expectations, including getting married and raising children in Rarotonga.

David is from a hospitality background, which includes working at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In 2001, he met his soulmate Alisha on Great Keppel Island. Westpac Sydney was where David began his career in banking working over the next seven years in Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford and Maroochydore. But David and Alisha had the travel bug so during this period they also worked ‘on and off’ in hospitality from the Great Barrier Reef to the Sunshine Coast. Then they moved to the UK for a year in 2008. David taking leave without pay. Bad timing: the Global Financial Crisis hit in 2008. David briefly worked at the Royal Bank of Scotland, but there was a mass staff culling. Back to his hospitality roots, David worked for the infamous Walkabout Shepherd’s Bush Pub. “And I did some labouring on the Twickenham Rugby Stadium, which was being refurbished”. David and Alisha returned to Australia after a year. “I ended up back at Westpac in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast in 2008, which links into how I got to the Pacific.”

David applied for the job as Westpac credit manager in the Cook Islands. Whilst he missed out on that job, he was offered the credit manager position in Samoa.

“We arrived in Samoa soon after the tsunami of 2009, which was devastating to businesses. It was an interesting entrance into Pacific banking as the credit manager in Samoa.”

In Samoa for three and a half years, David was promoted to head of business banking. In 2010, David and Alisha got married – in the Cook Islands. Married on a motu at Pacific Resort, they honeymooned in Aitutaki. In 2013, as head of business banking for Westpac in Samoa an arrangement was made to swap jobs with David’s counterpart in the Cook Islands.

“It was only meant to be for a year.” David, Alisha and their one-year-old son Ryan left for the Cook Islands in April 2013: “One year, turned into two. In the third year Westpac transitioned into BSP Cook Islands. On transition day, 10 July 2013, I took up the role of Country Head”. Today David and Alisha have four children Ryan 10, Hudson 8 and Milan 5, number four, Kianu, arrived in August 2022. David said he was particularly proud of his two boys who built a vaka canoe under the watchful eye of renowned Cook Islands master carver, Mike Tavioni, who teaches traditional vaka-making. “They spent eight to nine months building the vaka outside of school hours.”

“It was only meant to be for a year.”

David wins the Round Rarotonga Road Race in 2020 The boys Ryan and Hudson launch their vaka with Papa Mike Tavioni David with daughter Milan Image: Tabby Berg

David said he enjoys working with the BSP Financial Group. “What I like about the BSP model is it’s fit for purpose for our conditions here in the Cook Islands. We have more flexibility to adapt to the local requirements, and to fill the void where the opportunities exist”. For example, BSP has more ATMs and Eftpos in the Cook Islands than other banks “BSPs 14 ATMs are a convenience for thousands of visitors and locals.”

David said the BSP Financial Group is working on a new core banking system. “That is the bank’s engine. At the moment we are running on the legacy systems we had prior to the transition. We’re preparing ourselves to implement a brand-new core banking system anticipated in 2023. It will provide a level of service comparable to any developed country in the region. It will bring apps, digital banking solutions, and more user accessibility.” David Street is well known in the local road racing communities of the Cook Islands. We asked him about his love of the sport. “Coming to the Cook Islands I knew that Round Rarotonga Road Race existed, so I thought that I’d try that. My first race was 2013”. The 31km Round Rarotonga Road Race caters for social, recreational and competitive runners: “It’s one of the island’s great runs, and quite a spectator event too!”

“I thought that a top 10 finish was possible. It culminated for me winning in 2020 and 2021.

Also, I got a second place in the

Aitutaki Marathon, then a first place. And, last year a first place in the 2I kms race too.” Image: Charlotte Piho Photography “In 2021 I entered the new Ariki Adventures Challenge Raro, which is a 5.8km SUP, a 7.4km run over the Needle, then 44 km mountain bike ride. It’s done in teams of two. My teammate and I finished second in the inaugural race.” David’s other sporting passions in the Cook Islands include golf, lawn bowls and body surfing. “BSP does its fair share of sport, community and tourism sponsorships in the Cook Islands. “We do a lot through the schools with our financial literacy program, partnering with the Ministry of Education”.

“In schools we have the ‘Go Green’ campaign, and we help collect and distribute up to 700 gifts to less fortunate children through the annual BSP Christmas Giving Tree.” Every year BSP set aside an allocation for a community-based project, and they sponsor the Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Industry Awards. The bank also lends its name to BSP Netball in Paradise, and the BSP Aitutaki Marathon. BSP also sponsor to Motu 2 Motu (Aitutaki), the Round Rarotonga Road Race, and the Air New Zealand Rarotonga Triathlon. David said BSP is a unique bank with a strong commitment to the Pacific region. “BSP is here to stay; to expand and improve services, and to assist with the growth and prosperity of the Cook Islands.”